Spark-arrester



Nd Model.)

' W. H. LEDBETTER.

SPARK ARRESTER.

No. 341,336. Patented May 4, 1886-.

IJV' VEJV TOR .dttorneyd UNITED STATES PATENT OrFIcE.

XVILLIAM HUGHES LEDBETTER, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

SPARK-ARRESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,336, dated May 1-, 1886.

Application filed January 21, 1886. Serial No. 189,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HUGHES LED- BETTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Arresters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a. portable steam-engine provided with my improved spark arrester. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the forked portion of the smoke-stack. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line a; :20, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the damper or valve.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to spark-arresters for portable or locomotive steam'engines; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the same, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the boiler, which is provided with the usual smoke-stack, B, at the usual place. The smoke-stack is formed atits lower end with a forked portion, 0, the forward branch, D, of which extends upward in the manner usual for smoke-stacks,while the other branch, E, of the fork is curved back over the boiler, and secured at its downwardly-pointing rear end to the side of the furnace of the boiler. A damper or valve, F, of an oval or elliptical shape has a portion of its upper end cut off to form a straight edge, G, and this straight edge is secured to a rock-shaft, H, which rocks in bearings I I in the sides of the forked portion. A small lip, J, is secured between the top of the forked portion and thisshaft, for the purpose of closing the aperture formed between the said top and shaft. The end of the shaft is provided with a suitable handle, K, which engages a notched rack, L, upon the side of the smoke-stack, so that the damper may be tilted to close either of the branches of the forked portion by means of the handle, and maybe retained in its position by the handle being held in a notch of the rack.

(No model.)

The lower end of the curved branch of the fork has a pan, M, suspended below it, and a pipe, N, enters the said end of the branch, being connected suitably'to the engine and receiving the condensed water from the same. It will now be seen that when the damper is tilted to close the upright branch of the smoke-stack the smoke will pass through the curved branch and will emerge at the end of the same, receiving a sprinkling of the water passing out of the pipe, which water will extinguish the sparks in the smoke and collect in the pan under the end of the curved branch, which pan will also serve to catch sparks and extinguish them. The curved branch is closed and the straight upright branch used when the fire in the boiler is started and when the engine is not in motion, when the draft through the curved branch would not be sufficiently strong to keep the fire burning; but when the draft is increased by the exhauststeam entering the smoke-stack from the engine when the latter is set in motion the upright branch may be closed and the curved portion opened, conducting the smoke and all sparks to the waterpipe and to the water-receptacle.

Havingthus described myinvention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States-- l. The combination of an in verted- U shaped pipe joined to the smoke-stack of an engine, a suitable damper located at the junction, a water-receptacle suspended from the free end of said pipe, and a water-pipe leading into said end from the boiler of the engine, substantially as described and set forth.

2. The combination of a bifurcated smokestack havingasmall lip in the top of the fork, a rock-shaft journaled in the sides of the forked portion at the lower edge of the lip and having a handle at one end, a notched rack engaged by the said handle, and an oval or elliptical valve or damper having its upper end cut off to form a straight edge secured to the rock-shaft, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM llL GllllS IIEllBE'lTER.

Witnesses:

TOM CADE, B. WILiIoT, Jr. 

